SATO Know the Pitch: Introduction

byDavidonMarch 7, 2010

Here in the states we pay tribute to the twelfth man as they say. Many of our football stadiums often reference this important factor in any competition. In Seattle, WA the Seahawks raise a flag with the number twelve on it right before kickoff to get the crowd rowdy. In college football the Texas A&M Aggies reference this idea on their stadium wall.

With technological advancements over the last twenty years it is hard to walk into an NFL stadium and not be overwhelmed with this feeling of the twelfth man. It’s all over stadium walls, banners, and giant TV screens. Being encouraged to cheer on the home team has gone completely digital with expensive visual effects on the stadium jumbo screen and celebrities hyping their favorite teams. Rooting for your club has taken on a whole new ideology.

So why put all this time, effort, and money into something that doesn’t directly affect the game?

Because it really does help y0ur club.

I’m sure if you looked through Serie A history, you could never point out a year where more away teams won matches then home clubs. It is simply a fact that when you play in your own stadium, surrounded by your own fans, you will more likely play better. This is because of this theory the twelfth man.

Clubs all around the world are trying to find any competitive edge over the competition that they can. TV monitors, visual effects, terrible towels, and of course the most dreaded thunder sticks. Anything that gets the fans into the match and rooting loudly for their team is considered a plus. In Tampa they even added a pirate ship with fake canons to the endzone just to get people rowdy.

The twelfth man has become a part of sports. But without further adieu lets take a look at the twelfth man of every Serie A club.